September 10th Game - Video Link

Triumph Update 10/5/16

Practice Times

I wanted to start off with our practice time change. Starting TODAY, we will be practicing from 5:15 to 6pm, at Goot Park. The league changed the field practice times, for pretty much everyone, so the teams that practice after us will be practicing earlier. I know this is short notice, so please help spread the word. In fact, please respond to this email, ASAP, and let me know you got the message.

Update on the Season

I think the girls are doing very well and Catherine and I are having a blast out there! We've had a couple tough games but we've also had a couple really competitive ones. The girls appear to be having a great time out there, which is the most important thing. I have to say, I really love our group of kids (and parents) and I'm hoping we can keep everyone together for future seasons. The most competitive teams have been playing together for a couple years (for the same coach(s)) and they've learned together and know each other well.

Up to this point, we've pretty much worked on the basics but, now that we're half way through the season, I'd like to take the next step and try to introduce a little positioning. This will require me to teach the girls a specific position, or two, so they can get used to it. With only 4 kids on the field, we won't be trying to cover the whole field but my goal is to have the girls spread out a little, draw the defense when they have the ball, and pass it to a teammate. Imagine that, team ball!  :-)  This requires the girls to assess where they are on the field and make quick decisions to get open for the ball. It also requires the girls to be willing to share the ball. We have a couple who may be a little resistant to this. Please help me by having a quick discussion with the girls, if you find it appropriate, on sharing the ball. Soccer is a team sport and when someone scores, the team scores regardless of who kicked the goal.

Team Bonding

I first want to say that, for the most part, the girls have been very positive on the game and practice fields and I think all of them get along great. However, I do want to mention that there have been a few hurtful comments between the girls. At this age, kids often say things without thinking and I believe this to be the case with what has been said amongst our girls. Please also discuss this with them, if you feel its appropriate.

On another note, I'd like to create some additional bonding time for the girls. Since we're at mid-season, would anyone be interested in getting the girls together for an activity or maybe a get-together at someone's home? I, unfortunately, don't have time right now to organize something like this but I think it would be a great idea. Perhaps we can do this instead of, or in addition to an end-of-season party? It always seems silly to me that we have this big get-together at the end of the season when we're saying goodbye. I'd almost rather do something really fun, beginning or mid-season, and something small at the end. What are your thoughts?

End of Season Party

If everyone would like to have a get-together at the end of the season, is there anyone who'd like to head this up? Any ideas on this, as well? We're at the half way mark already and we should start tossing ideas around if we're wanting to do it.

Team Blog

I've updated the Team Blog with pictures and videos. A special thank you to Yunsong, Sophia's Dad, for taking pictures and videos of our games and practices. Please check out the blog when you get a chance.

http://cwtriumph.blogspot.com/

Thanks,

Coach Ben

Team Triumph!

I've finally got the Blog updated! As soon as we have a practice with all of our girls, we'll get an updated photo, for the front page. A few things about our blog...

• There are links on the right side of the blog. If you can't see them and you're on a mobile device, you'll need to go to the bottom of the blog and turn it to Normal or Desktop mode.
• The first link "Game & Snack Schedule" is a printable spreadsheet I put together to make things easier on everyone. It consists of the date, time, location of the games and also tells what color we should be wearing (always bring both colors just in case) and it also shows who's assigned for our drink/snack.
• The second link "Field Info & Official Schedule" is the official schedule the league puts out. It's always good to check this page for updates (please let grandparents know). The league has been known to make changes without any notification. They are relying on us to check this schedule regularly. This link also has field maps, so we know where the fields are. We're just playing at Harmony and Doc Harris, so we shouldn't have too many problems finding fields.
• The third link will contain pictures and videos of our practices and games. I already have some to add but am having trouble getting them moved over. I should have this resolved in the next day or so. 
• The last link contains some pictures from previous seasons. 

I'd like to keep this blog somewhat private, even though it's available to the public. Please feel free, however, to share it with close family and friends. Grandparents love the blog because they can look at the pictures and keep track of what's going on. If anyone would prefer not to have their daughter's picture on the blog, please let me know as soon as possible.

Please join our blog for updates by becoming a follower or by saving a link to your desktop. This is where I will be communicating with the team.

Thanks so much,
Coach Ben